Metal-furniture construction



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Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE O. BRAINABD AND JASON A- FITGH, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A SSIGNOB TO THE GENERAL IIBEPBOOFING COMPANY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, 0810, A CORPORATION OIL OHIO Application fled December 16, 1985 Serial 110. 75,827.

This invention relates to metal furniture construction adapted for making knockdown metal filing cabinets and like articles.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to so construct a knock-down vertical file that it will occupy a minimum amount of storage space when not in use, or when being shipped, and in which the assembly is so simple that it may be readily performed by the purchaser with the use of only a simple wrench and screw-driver, thus avoiding the necessity of employing skilled workmen to assemble the cabinet, thereby lessening the cost to the purchaser.

Another object is to so construct such a cabinet that the parts may all be manufactured by simple processes which provide for the parts being made in large numbers and in exact duplicates so that such parts are interchangeable and when leaving the factory may be taken at random from stock racks and shipped as a complete unit, the final inspection at the factory on the completion of each unit constituting the final inspection of the part.

Another object is to construct the parts so that no exterior surfaces are subjected to the imprint of a spot-weld thus avoiding the necessity of a large amount of surfacefilling and finishing incident to removing spot-weld depressions.

The accomplishment of these objects results in producing a substantial and rigid vertical file having a neat and finished exterior with all of the refinements and advantages of surface possessed by the usual factory built cabinet, together with low factory cost.

The various details of the structure are susceptible of modification without departing from the scope of the claimed invention, a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention bein shown in the accompanying drawings, in w ich:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a cabinet constructed in accordance with this invention, the parts broken out and in section to show the construction more clearly.

' Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the side piece 5 removed.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3- -3 of Fig. 2.

Fig.4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 6. y

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section taken on a plane at right angles to Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail horizontal section. v

Fig. 8 is a similar view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a detail central vertical section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a similar view taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 11 is a detail horizontal section, showing the front cover strip connecting the front posts of two adjacent cabinets.

Fig. 12 is a similar view showing the back plate connector when files are in battery. without side panels.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated a plurality of sections or units are provided, each of which may consist of a plurality of parts completely assembled at the factory by welding, riveting or otherwise, each unit being of a form to pack relatively flat for storage or shipment.

That is to say the present invention contemplates the provision of a construction which may be made up in standardized parts that can be assembled with facility either at the factory or by the purchaser, thereby to provide a single filing unit of the desired capacity or connect a plurality of units in such a way that the desired filing or storage capacity is provided.

To that end the invention contemplates a main frame or skeleton which consists of side sections including means for guiding the drawers, the sections being connected by front and rear reinforcing and spac' members which give the cabinet the desii' ed width. After the side sections are held in' their relative assembled position by being connected with the front and rear spacing members, the com letion of the cabinet may be efiected by placing the side sheets in position and so holding them by a back sheet which slides longitudinally on to the edges of the side sheets to hold the back edges thereof in place while the front e interlocked with the side sections. will also hereinafter more fully appear, the wall portions of the cabinet may be provided with top and bottom sections to complete the enclosure, and where two or more cabinets are desired to be 'oined the side sheets may be dispensed wit where one cabinet ad oins another, thereby effecting economy in material and in erectin a battery of cabinets.

The cabinet as own includes a back section or panel B, right and left side panels S, a bottom-unit or base C, a top unit or cap T and a front ladder unit F, all of which are constructed and assembled as will be hereinafter full described.

e side sections or panels S are made rights and lofts and of skeleton construction each comprising a frame composed of a front post 1, a rearpost 3 and an intermediate u right or post 2 which are spaced suitable dJS- tances apart and connected by verticall s aced roller suspension channels 4 WhIC channels or slides are of the ordinary construction used in files of this type and hence will nothe described in detail. These members are secured rigidly together in any suitable manner to form a panel structure whose outer face is adapted to have removably applied thereto a s eet metal side plate 5, the

side ed es of which are formed with flanges 6 and at the front and rear respective The front flanges 6 have inturned li s 6" ,w e the rear flanges 7 have hook-shape lips 7 to interlock with similar flanges 12 on the back plate 12.

The plates 5 also have inturned top supporting flanges 5 at their upper ends as Wlll hereinafter more fully appear, and are also provided with apertures 8 to correspond with similar 0 nings 8 in the panel assembly to rmit 0 bolting the cabinets together side y side in series and also to operate as means for bolting the cabinet to a sh; ping crate.

The front posts 1 of the si e panels S, are detachably connected by tie-channel members '10, an desired number of which may be emplo e according to the height of the cabinet, an which form in connection with said posts the front ladder unit F. These members carry the threaded stud member 10'-10" or their equivalent for connecting with the opposite posts 1-1. Also similar tie-channels 11 detachably connect the rear posts 3 of the side panels and form a rear reinforcing and bracin ladder unit which-is covered by the backp ate 12.

The body portions 10 of the screw studs are referably secured to these channel members y spotv welding and are designed to extend through openings inthe front posts F in the side panels for securing them together, (see Fig. 7 nuts 10 engaging the projecting ends 0 saidstuds to secure them to the posts. Similar members 11'11" are welded to the ends of the rear tie-channels 11 and operate in the same manner to connect these channels with the rear posts 3 of the side panels. The channels 11 have flanges 11 which fit in inwardly opening keepers 3' carried by the rear A back anel in the form of a plate 12 is interlocked with the side plates 5 by the inturned flanges 13 which engage the keeperlike flanges 7 of plates 5. This panel has a flan e 14 at its upper end for attachment to the ange 20 of the top late 20 soon to be described. The lower en of plate 12 is also provided with a hook-like flange 15 to be mterlockingly connected with a similar flange 30' on bottom plate 30.

. and the bottom flange 38 thereof is also preferably provided with bolt holes for connection with the flange 31 of the bottom plate 30.

The upper ends of the corner posts are also provided with clips 40 for attachment to the top late 20. The intermediate uprights 2 also ave clips 41 on their inner faces which extend inwardly cured to the top plate.

When a series of cabinets are to be joined together it is to be noted that the assembling of the cabinet provides that the front flanges 6 of the side lates 5 interlock over the front faces of the out corner posts 1. When several cabinets are to stand side b side the intermediate side sheets are omitted. When these sheets are omitted the front faces of the front corner posts 1 and the rear faces of the rear corner posts 3 are exposed. To protect these posts a front corner strip 42 of similar gauge and appearance to the front flange of the side panel is clinched over the front face of the corner post as is shown clearly in Fig. 11. The rear face of the rear corner post 1s similarly protected by a rear locking strip 43. This strip is constructed to simulate the rear flange on the side panel sheets and is shown in detail in Fig. 12.

The front and rear corner posts 1 and 3 are provided with a series of apertures 16 alon their vertical length for receiving additiona channels for roller suspensions.

and are designed to be se- Ordinarily the front of the cabinet is made up with four drawer spaces and rovision is herein made by means of regularly spaced holes in the posts for a main drawer being replaced by two half-sized drawers. The channels for the upper half-sized drawers are bolted into position by bolts screwed into tapped holes of the post. These bolted in channels carry the standard roller suspension. By equipping the posts with the additional openings provision is made for a half-sized drawer being replaced by three drawers for carrying legal blanks, in which case two additional channels for carrying drawers are bolted into position. The legal blank sized drawers are made to slide in the channels for the roller suspensions which latter are dispcnsed with when such drawers are used.

The novel feature of this improved construction consists in furnishing these spare parts after the cabinet has been in use so that the owner may withdraw a letter drawer and replaceit with two card index drawers, or replace one card index drawer with three legal blank drawers, or with six legal blank drawers. This change in drawers requires no other tool than a screw-driver.

In the assembling of the cabinet the bottom plate 30 is placed on a bench or other suitable support and left and right hand side assemblies are bolted to it. The base 35 and three tie channels 10 are then introduced across the front and secured to posts 1 and three tie-channels 11 are arranged across the back and connected to posts 3 to complete the frame. The right and left side plates are then placed in positiorr by hooking the front flanges thereof over the front corner posts in a somewhat oblique position and then swinging said plates into position toward the rear posts and pressing the rear flange of these plates over the rear flanges of the posts. When both side sheets are thus hooked and swung into position the back sheet 12 is slipped over the flanges of the side sheets beginning with the bottom of the back sheet over the top ends of the flanges of the side sheets. The back sheet or plate is then slipped down for the full length of the cabinet until its bottom flange 15 seats in the keeper flange 30 of bottom plate 30 and operates as a lock for the side and bottom sheets. After the case is completely assembled holes are drilled through the six thicknesses of metal within about-two inches of the bottom to receive screws 12 as shown in Figures 4 and 5. These screws hold the members rigid against weaving during shipment and the consequent It is to be understoodfin assembling this cabinet that the parts should first be mounted loosely until a suflicientnumber are assembled to complete a preliminary framing.

This framing will then besquared up and the bolts tightened gradually to bring the parts of the cabinet into proper alinement. When so assembled all of the bolts will carry the strain for which they are intended without undue opposing stress being carried by one bolt against another.

From the above description it will be ob vious that to knock down the cabinet the operation just described will be reversed, the bolts being first removed and the parts separate to adapt them to be laid flat for storage or shipment and when they reach 1. A metal furniture construction includ-.

ing fabricated side sections comprising rigidly united uprights and slide members, drawer separating tie channels having bolt and nut means at the ends thereof for detachably connecting said side sections at the front and rear thereof, and back and side cover plates interlockingly connected at the back edges of the cabinet and said side plates being looked over the front uprights of the rigid side sections, the rear plate operating to lock the rear edges ofthe side plates together. I

2. A knock-down metal cabinet construction including fabricated side sections composed of rigidly united uprights and horizontal slide members, cross bars having bolt and nut means at opposite ends thereof for engaging with the uprights of the side sections thereby to detachably and rigidly connect the same, side cover plates fitting over the edges of the front uprights of the side sections and having outturned groove portions at their rear edges, and a back plate having inturned flanges for fitting into the outturned groove portions of the side plates, and cap and base members for the cabinet.

3. A knock-down metal cabinet construc tion including a rigidly set up self-sustaining interior frame consisting of side sections having horizontal slide members secured thereto and cross bars having a bolting engagement with the side sections, and a casing for covering the self-sustaining interior frame and comprising side plates interlocked directly with the front edges of the interior frame and a back plate having its lateral edges directly interlocked with t e rear edges of the side plates, and ca and base sections detachably connected to t e members consti- 6 tutingthe casing.

4. A knock-down metal cabinet construction including a self-sustainin frame consisting of fabricated skeleton si e sections each comprising front, rear and intermediate up 10 right members rigidly secured together in spaced relation by drawer slide members, tiebars having aunt and bolt connection at their ends with the front and rear u rights of the side sections, thereby to rigi ly unite the same, side coverplates fitting over the front edges of the skeleton side sections, a back cover plate engaging with the rear ed es of said side cover plates, a bottom section mterlocked with the back plate, and a top section having inturned flanges, and fastenings for securing said flanges to the back and side plates.

5. A knock-down metal cabinet construction including fabricated skeleton side memu bers each comprising front, rear and inter mediate uprights with drawer guides rigidly connecting them, tie-bars having a nut and bolt engagement with the skeleton side members and adapted to rigidly connect the same go to provide a self-sustaining interior frame,

side and back plates forming the upright portion of the casing for the cabinet, a cap section having an inturned flange, clips carried by the uprights of said side sections and adapted to be bolted to said top flange, and a bottom section provided with flanges for interfitting with the back section of the casing and also with the bottom edges of the side plates.

6. knocked-down metal cabinet construction including a set up interior skeleton frame comprising a plurality of frame members fastened together to provide a self sustaining frame structure, and an outside casing enveloping said interior frame and assembled thereabout, said frame including side panels having a direct interlocking connection with the interior frame, a back panel having a direct interlocking connection with the two side panels to hold them in place, and a top member seated upon the side and back panels.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures.

GEORGE C. BRAINARD.

JASON A. FITCH. 

